


All I Want

by robotjellyfish



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, pining lance, pining shiro, shance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 05:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13093674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robotjellyfish/pseuds/robotjellyfish
Summary: After telling Coran and Allura about some Earth holiday traditions team Voltron decide to hold a Secret Santa. Lance is paired with Shiro, who doesn't seem to want anything for Christmas. Lance can't let that slide. He's determined to get Shiro the perfect gift.Shiro ends up paired with someone to whom the perfect gift just doesn't seem to exist.The perfect gift is right in front of both of them, if only they are brave enough.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a quick little fic I wanted to write for the hoidays, for all the shance fans out there who do such great work. All the artists who draw the beautiful fan art that inspires me, all the authors that write such beautiful stories that make me love shance even more and motivate me to work on my writing, and all the people who comment on and share all the fan work, you are all wonderful.

“So you're telling me that this Santa can travel the whole of planet Earth delivering presents to every single Earthling child, in one night?” Coran asked sceptically. He quirked one eyebrow and tugged at his moustache.

 

“Only the good children, but yes that the basic gist of it,” Lance answered.

 

Coran chuckled and shook his head.

 

“Even a Preit'iehx would have trouble with that, and they're able to create multiple copies of themselves. Are you sure this Santa is human?” Coran contemplated. He was not convinced.

 

“Santa isn't an alien, Coran,” Lance sighed. Explaining Christmas to the Alteans had seemed like such a good idea at the time. After spending such a long time in space the holidays were bound to come around eventually, and even though it was hard to keep track of Earth time, and know exactly what date it was back home, Lance knew in his gut that it was close to Christmas. That and Pidge's Earth calendar agreed it was now around mid-December on Earth.

 

They'd spent several vargas telling Allura and Coran all about their own various traditions and methods of celebrating the holidays, and while they'd found the idea of the people of Earth all celebrating one season so differently fascinating, the story of Santa had completely captivated Coran.

 

“Santa isn't real. It's just a story told to make children that believe in the stuff behave around the holidays,” Pidge cut in dryly.

 

“Pidge!” Lance screeched scandalised. He leant towards Keith, who was sitting next to him and slapped his hands over the other man's ears.

 

“Why are you covering my ears?” Keith asked fixing Lance with a level glare. He made no effort to dislodge Lance's hands.

 

“I'm protecting your innocence. Don't worry Keith Pidge doesn't know what she's talking about,” Lance said in a soothing baby voice.

 

“Lance, I haven't believed in Santa since I was like, five,” Keith deadpanned.

 

Lance gasped again. He moved his hands from Keith's ears and slapped them over his chest.

 

“The cynicism of today's youth,” Lance bemoaned. With a dramatic sigh, he flopped to the other side and fell against Hunk.

 

“I'm older than you Lance!” Keith huffed. Lance ignored him.

 

“Can you believe this Hunk? Where is their Christmas spirit?” Lance demanded as he looked up at his friend.

 

“I know Lance, it's dreadful,” Hunk said with a completely straight face. He lifted an arm and wrapped it around Lance, and the two of them hugged solemnly, mourning the loss of their teammate's innocence.

 

“Next you'll be telling me Shiro doesn't believe in Santa either!” Lance exclaimed. He gave another dramatic sigh and threw his arm over his eyes.

 

“Uh,” Shiro jumped at the mention of his name, tempted to say he did in fact, believe in Santa, just because it was Lance saying it.

 

“Never mind that, what about this Secret Santa ritual you spoke of? Now that sounds fun,” Allura cut in her eyes sparkling with intent.

 

“It's not a ritual Allura,” Hunk laughed a little nervously at the intensity of her gaze.

 

“It's just a fun, I guess you could call it a game, a group of people play to celebrate the holidays together. Usually, it'll be a group of friends or people who work together," he clarified.

 

The sparkle in her eyes dimmed slightly, but Allura's smile remained bright.

 

“Still I think we should partake in this Secret Santa game. The exchange of gifts around this time seems to be a common tradition that you all share, at least, and I would like to experience some of these Earth traditions of yours."

 

“We could do a Secret Santa. It doesn't have any particular religious connotations, so I don't think anyone will mind.” Lance lifted his head from Hunk's shoulder and glanced around at the others with barely contained excitement, searching for any objections.

 

“I'm game,” Matt agreed brightly. Pidge nodded along with him.

 

“Sure, sounds like fun,” Keith shrugged.

 

“I think it's a great idea,” Shiro smiled.

 

“Yes, much more efficient than this one man, Santa, delivering all the presents,” Coran grinned.

 

Seeing that everyone was on board with the idea Lance's expression broke into a wide, excited grin that infected everyone.

 

“Now, how does this secret Santa thing work again?” Allura asked impatiently.

 

"First of all if we're going to do this Secret Santa, then we're going to do it properly. That means absolutely no telling anyone who you get paired with," Lance reiterated strictly before going into a thorough, more detailed explanation of a Secret Santa and how it worked. Once he was satisfied both Coran and Allura understood, he handed out identical squares of paper to everyone.

 

“You just need to write your names on this paper and list some of your likes, or even a few suggestions for gifts, but be realistic,” Lance instructed when all the papers had been handed out.

 

“Aw, so you're saying I can't ask for a pony?” Pidge whined with a smirk.

 

Lance shot her a tired glare.

 

Silence fell among the group as they all turned to their papers. Allura gazed down at her's diligently, pen poised as if she were about to sign an important treaty. Coran tapped his chin with his pen, putting careful consideration into every word he wrote. Hunk started to write something, then crossed it out and wrote something else grumbling under his breath all the while. Keith scowled at his paper and pressed the pen harder than was necessary against the paper, almost at risk of tearing it. Pidge had already scribbled something down and was now trying to look over her brother's shoulder. Matt did his best to hold her back with one hand while trying to write with the other.

 

Everyone was distracted which meant Shiro's could allow his gaze to wanted towards Lance, without any fear of being caught.

 

Lance was curled up on the sofa, his legs folded up in front of him so that his knees were level with his face. He had the paper resting on his knees and curled up slightly as he wrote to prevent anyone from peeking.

 

Shiro's smile softened as he watched him. Lance had been the most enthusiastic when it came to explaining Santa, and Christmas to Allura and Coran. His blue eyes had sparkled with joy, and when he talked about exchanging gifts, he'd been like a kid at Christmas.

 

He heard a snort beside him from Keith and knew he'd been caught staring. However, Shiro remained calm and turned back to his blank piece of paper as if nothing had happened. He wrote out his name and paused. He couldn't think of anything he wanted. Well, there was one thing, but that was something he couldn't write down.

 

“Is everyone done?” Lance asked as he unfolded himself, stretching his long legs out in front of him before hopping to his feet. He looked around the circle at everyone and was met with a chorus of 'yes' and nodding.

 

“Good. Hand me your papers face down, and no trying to sneak a look at other peoples,” Lance said shooting a pointed look at Pidge.

 

Pidge pulled a face at him.

 

Shiro quickly flipped his paper over without looking at it. He'd only written his name on it, but Lance was already moving around the group gathering the papers from everyone. Shiro didn't want to be the one to cause any delays, and besides, it was only a Secret Santa. He'd didn't need anything.

 

With all the papers collected Lance sat down again and carefully folded each one. He made sure that no one, including himself, was able to see any writing, and he folded each piece of paper in exactly the same way.

 

Allura and Coran watched intently, probably thinking that it was an essential part of the ceremony. The others weren't quite as interested in watching Lance, except for Shiro, who couldn't take his eyes off Lance's slender, nimble fingers as they manipulated each piece of paper, into smaller, neat folded squares.

 

“Done!” Lance announced when he finished. Shiro quickly looked somewhere else.

 

“Hunk, do your thing.” Lance turned to Hunk and handed him the stack of folded papers. Hunk gave a salute and took the papers from Lance, then shuffled them like a pack of cards. His hands moved so quickly it was impossible to keep track.

 

After shuffling them, Hunk handed them back to Lance with a solemn nod. Lance took them with an equally solemn bow of his head and then moved around the group again to hand them each a piece of paper.

 

“Now, when you look at your papers make sure no one else sees it, but if you get yourself then speak up, and we'll redraw,” Lance said after all the papers were handed out. He was left with the last one, which he worried between his fingers as he spoke, equally excited and anxious to open it.

 

“On the count of three. One, two...three.” The room filled with the chorus of paper being unfolded and shuffled, followed by a few gasps, laughs, and some sighs of relief.

 

Shiro stared at the paper in his hands, and the name in neat block capitals, his fingers trembling. Lance.

 

“No one got themselves right?” Lance checked. He still hadn't look at the paper in his hands. A few people shook their heads, and others muttered no.

 

“You should look at your paper though, Lance,” Hunk chuckled, nudging his friend with his elbow.

 

“Right,” Lance laughed sheepishly. He held the paper close to his face and slowly opened it.

 

Shiro folded the piece of paper with Lance's name on it and slipped it into his pocket. He knew that there would be no need to redraw, but sensibly kept his mouth closed.

 

After unfolding the paper, Lance stared at it and did not move. He didn't blink and even seemed to have stopped breathing. “Lance, is something wrong?” Hunk asked.

 

“What? No!” Lance snapped, finally jerking back to reality when Hunk got a little too close. Lance pressed the paper against his chest, crushing it slightly beneath his fingers.

 

“Ok, good,” Hunk didn't look too convinced, but he backed off.

 

“Is everyone happy with who they got? And Matt and Pidge you didn't get each other right?” Hunk questioned the group, momentarily taking over from Lance, who still appeared to be somewhat of a daze.

 

His answers were smiles and nods, and a devious glint flashing in Pidge's eye.

 

“We're all good,” Matt said and shot Hunk a thumbs up.

 

“Now, how long do we have to obtain these gifts?” Allura asked, her gaze fixed on Lance, as he was the one who seemed to be the authority on the Secret Santa.

 

“Lance?” Hunk prodded Lance gently when, after several long ticks, he didn't answer.

 

“How long? Um...” Lance's fingers twitched against the piece of paper. His eyes focused on the group, looking at Hunk first and then Allura. He blinked a few times, then smiled.

 

“Sorry. How does two movements sound? It'll give you plenty of time to think of a gift and shop for or make it, and it'll allow for any Galra interruptions,” his smile grew, and he laughed as if nothing strange had happened.

 

“I think that will be adequate,” Allura agreed with an authoritative nod, and with that, the decision was made.

 

"If we're going to celebrate the holidays then we need to have a proper meal, you know make it a real party. I can try and whip up some Earth dishes,” Hunk gushed. His eyes glowed with excitement, already planning the menu.

 

“Do you think you can make latkes?” Pidge demanded. She leant forward, her glasses glinting as they caught the light.

 

“It may take some experimenting, but I'll see what I can do,” Hunk winked.

 

The conversation switched to food. Keith and Matt both put in their request for their favourite dishes, and Coran offered his assistance in the kitchen while giving his own suggestions for party dishes.

 

Pidge was the first to break off, leaving the room with her paper clutched in her hand, and a grin that made everyone nervous.

 

Hunk and Coran moved to the kitchen in the midst of a heated discussion, and Allura left shortly after them.

 

Keith got up and approached Shiro. "Hey Shiro, you free for some sparring?" He offered. Shiro glanced up at Keith distractedly for a moment, then his gaze wandered looking around Keith searching the room for any sign of Lance. He wasn't there, at some point, he'd managed to slip out without Shiro noticing. Shiro frowned, he'd wanted to check on Lance after his odd behaviour.

 

Shiro almost forgot Keith had asked him a question.

 

An amused chuckle drew his attention back to Keith.

 

“Shiro?” Keith demanded with a quirked eyebrow and a knowing smirk. Shiro had the good decency to look abashed.

 

“Sorry, and sure, some sparring sounds good. And if you need some suggestions for gifts I'm happy to help,” he smiled at Keith, who bristled and crossed his arms over his chest.

 

“I don't need help,” he huffed.

 

Shiro laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance walked at a brisk pace to his room, the paper still held tightly against his chest even though no one else was around. He only lifted it away when he was safely in the confines of his room, and the door had shut behind him.

 

When he first opened the paper all he'd seen was the name, and Lance had been elated. Then he saw the blank space below the name, and he'd felt cold.

 

“Shiro...” he whispered as he looked at the paper again. It was still blank apart from the name.

 

“He doesn't want anything...”

 

Lane flopped down onto his bed. Not asking for anything was one thing, but Shiro hadn't even listed any of his likes. That was too sad, and Lance had to do something about that.

 

 

* * *

 

“Keith?” Lance approached Keith the next day, his hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl on his lips.

 

“Yes?” Keith answered cautiously.

 

“You know Shiro pretty well, right?” Lance scuffed the toe of his shoe against the floor, his gaze off to the side avoiding Keith's eye.

 

“I've known him for longer than anyone else here, so I guess I know him the best out of everyone,” Keith admitted his words chosen carefully afraid of saying the wrong thing.

 

“Right. So you know what Shiro was like before all...this,” Lance said, he gestured around the room, the training deck, with a sweep of his hand.

 

“I...Lance, where are you going with this?” Keith sighed. It was clear something was troubling Lance, and while Keith was happy to help, if he could, he did not have the patience to coax whatever problem it was out of Lance gently.

 

“It's Shiro! I got Shiro for the Secret Santa!”

 

Keith squawked and stuck his fingers in his ears.

 

“Lance you aren't supposed to tell me who you got. You were adamant we keep it a secret!”

 

“Keith this is serious. Shiro didn't write anything down on his paper!” Lance exclaimed, brandishing a piece of paper at Keith.

 

“He what?” Keith snatched the paper from Lance.

 

He stared at the paper, his eyes scanning over Shiro's name, then the blank space beneath it. He turned the paper upside down, then turned it around to look at the back. It was still blank.

 

“There nothing on here!” Keith scowled.

 

“Exactly!” Lance threw his arms up in the air.

 

“Everyone wants something, and I don't mean that in a selfish, greedy way, but everyone can at least think of something they'd like even if it's something simple like chocolate or a pair of socks,” Lance ranted as he paced back and forth.

 

“But Shiro didn't write anything, it's like he doesn't even want or like anything and that's just so...so...sad,” Lance seemed to deflate at the end of his rant, his shoulders slumped, and he hunched forward, making himself smaller.

 

“Yeah...” Keith sighed. He turned the paper over one more time before handing it back to Lance.

 

“Does Shiro not like Christmas or something? I mean if he doesn't celebrate Christmas or whatever then he should have just said, no one would have forced him.” Lanced whined in anguish.

 

Keith shook his head.

 

“As far as I know his family exchanges gifts and decorates same as most people, so I don't think it's that,” Keith mused, a frown creasing his brow.

 

“Then he really couldn't think of anything to write. He doesn't want anything...” Lance trailed off. He looked like he was about to cry.

 

“Shiro's had a rough time lately. He has a lot on his mind.”

 

“I know that.” Lance huffed and crumpled to the floor, his long legs spread out in front of him at odd angles. Keith offered a weak smile and crouched down beside him.

 

“So what are you going to do about it?” He asked sensing that Lance wasn't there to ask him for help in choosing a gift.

 

“I'm going to give him the best, most thoughtful present ever, of course, and for that, I'm going to need your help. Everyone's help actually,” Lance said emphatically his mouth set in a firm line of determination.

 

* * *

 

 

“You want us all to give Shiro a gift?” Hunk gasped, his eyes sparkling after Lance had finished explaining his plan.

 

“Yes, sorta, but we'll combine it in one gift," Lance answered.

 

“In a coupon book. Isn't that a little childish? It's the kinda thing you'd give your mom,” Pidge teased as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

 

Lance's cheeks went red.

 

“Shiro does a lot for us, so it's our turn to repay him. Giving him these coupons, with offers of help, is the easiest way I could think of,” Lance spluttered.

 

“I think it's a splendid idea,” Allura clapped her hands together and beamed from ear to ear. She was thrilled to try anything new.

 

“Thank you, Allura. Now I want you all to have a good, long think about what you'll give Shiro. It has to be something meaningful, and helpful. Something that will make his life easier. I've given you all templates for the coupons, you can decorate them however you want just make sure to keep them that size. Any questions?”

 

Matt raised his hand.

 

“What are you going to give Shiro? Maybe a private massage will help him relax?” He said with a suggestive smirk. The others shared knowing grins.

 

Lance's face went even redder, and he sputtered. “That doesn't…it's none of your business…”

 

“Oh Lance, I didn't realise you were proficient in giving a massage. My shoulders have been feeling a little stiff lately, do you think I might be able to trouble you?” Coran asked, completely missing what the others had been hinting at.

 

The room went silent, and everyone turned to stare at Coran. Allura was the first to snort, followed by Pidge who almost fell off her chair at the force of her laughter, which got everyone else laughing.

 

“Why are you all laughing? It's only a massage. You didn't laugh when Matt suggested Lance give Shiro a mass….oh...” Coran said. The penny finally dropped.

 

Lance groaned and held his face in his hands.

 

“I don't know what you think you know, but whatever it is you are wrong,” Lance protested, his voice muffled.

 

“Lance we all have eyes. Everyone knows,” Pidge countered dryly.

 

“Yeah, Lance even Keith knows,” Hunk chuckled.

 

“Only because you told me, Hunk, right after Lance confessed his feelings for Shiro to you," Keith retorted. Beside him, Hunk gasped at the betrayal.

 

Lance peeked through his fingers to glare at Hunk.

 

“I knew I shouldn't have told you,” he muttered darkly.

 

“I only figured it out fairly recently,” Allura said kindly in an attempt to mollify him. Lance only groaned and pressed his hands harder against his face.

 

“Oh me too. Allura had to confirm it for me, but I did pick up on some of the signs,” Coran chimed in with a chuckle.

 

“I think it's rather sweet that a romantic relationship is developing between two-”

 

“Nothing is developing!” Lance squawked cutting Allura off. He dropped his hands away from his face, his eyes darting around the room like a trapped animal.

 

“Shiro is-I just-Shiro is someone I admire and look up to, and maybe like, but that's it. And why are we talking about my hypothetical crush on Shiro anyway? This meeting is about Shiro's gift, now if there are no more questions I refuse to sit here and get interrogated any longer!” Lance huffed. He marched towards the door, and walked right into the door frame.

 

“It's ok Lance, we won't tell Shiro until you're ready!” Hunk called after him as Lance stumbled out the room.

 

* * *

 

 

The thing Lance had written came as no surprise. _Face masks, the ocean, beauty products, my own set of headphones so I don't have to keep stealing Pidge's (sorry Pidge)._ A jumble of his likes and things he wanted.

 

Shiro smiled at the message, the paper already well worn from the number of times he'd unfolded it and folded it again, just to look at it. It was all simple, obvious things that he would have no trouble getting. Well, maybe the ocean was a stretch, but the beauty products or a set of headphones would be easy. All he needed to do was hunt around the nearest space mall and find a shop selling some sort of goo that Lance would be happy to slather over his face.

 

But it wouldn't be enough.

 

Shiro wanted to give Lance something special. Something that would make him as happy, and excited as he had been when talking about Christmas. Something that would prove to him how much he meant to the team, and to Shiro.

 

But what could Shiro give him that would say all of that?

 

It was difficult to read what Lance truly wanted, what would make him happy. He never made a point of voicing his own desires, beyond the superficial, and even then he was usually making a joke out of it.

 

Which was a part of the problem. After observing Lance for some time now, and it was observing not stalking, a point he'd had to correct Keith on more than once lately, Shiro learnt that Lance was harder on himself than anyone else could ever be.

 

When he wasn't his usual boisterous self and bragging about his own abilities, usually to lighten the mood, or make one of them laugh, Lance was the most critical about his contribution, and place on the team. Only ever in private, or when he thought no one would hear him, but Shiro was more observant than people gave him credit for, and maybe he had been tailing Lance a little more lately.

 

The one thing Shiro knew for sure was that Lance longed to be someone and that he thought that the person he was now wasn't enough.

 

So how could Shiro tell him that he was enough? More than enough. That the person Lance was now was more than he, and any of them deserved.

 

It seemed impossible to put into something tangible, something he could give to Lance that would tell him everything Shiro was too afraid to say. He was at a complete loss and had no idea where to start, but damn if Shiro wasn't going to try, even if he had to go all the way to the other end of the universe.

 

He could ask the others for help, Hunk especially was closer to Lance and might at least be able to provide some helpful hints, but no, Shiro wanted to do this on his own.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

A few days later days later Allura freed up their schedule so they could all take a trip to the space mall.

 

“So, any shops, in particular, you're thinking of going to visit?” Hunk pestered Keith. He shot the other boy a wide, innocent grin as if his real intentions weren't blindingly obvious.

 

“I think I'll just take a look around, see what jumps out at me,” Keith shrugged. He did a marvellous job of keeping up a perfect poker face under Hunk's scrutinising stare.

 

Hunk's face fell, with an expression that resembled that of a kicked puppy.

 

“Aw come on,” he whined. Keith twitched but somehow managed to remain strong under the force of the puppy dog eyes.

 

Sensing he was getting nowhere with Keith, Hunk rounded on Pidge. “What about you Pidge? Need any help picking out your gift?”

 

“Nope, I'm good. I already know exactly what I need to buy. Besides I can't have you figuring out who I'm shopping for or you'll go blabbing to them,” Pidge brushed Hunk off, unaffected by his big brown eyes and wobbling lip.

 

“Look I'm not good with secrets, you all know this, I can't stand the suspense. This was such a bad idea,” Hunk groaned, slouching in his seat dejectedly.

 

“Don't worry Hunk. It won't be long until you find out. I think the pilot of the yellow lion can hold out till then,” Shiro said encouragingly, with a smile that said he had total faith in Hunk.

 

“I dunno about that. I mean not only do I have to get my person a present, and worry about who got me and what they'll get me, but now I also have to-ouch!” Hunk yelped in pain as Keith kicked him in the shin, and Pidge had jabbed him with her elbow at the same time.

 

“Guys, what was that?” Shiro reprimanded, his eyes narrowed at Keith and Pidge.

 

“My arm slipped,” Pidge said quickly.

 

“And my foot slipped. Sorry Hunk,” Keith added.

 

Hunk laughed it off. “Oh yeah, no worries. Turbulence man, it happens, I'm fine."

 

Shiro knew the pod hadn't so much as trembled, but the three of them seemed to be working it out, communicating silently with meaningful glares and exaggerated gestures. Whatever it was, Shiro decided he didn't need to be in the middle of it.

 

He glanced at Lance instead, who was sitting next to him. Lance had been oddly quiet, even before they got in the pod. He hadn't argued to ride up front with Coran, although with Allura travelling with them the front seat naturally went to her. He'd not made any attempt to back Hunk up, or even to take part in the conversation at all. Instead, he seemed content to watch them.

 

At the very least Lance was smiling, a smile that seemed soft and real, not forced, and Shiro had been paying closer attention to Lance's smiles lately. He felt ashamed that it had taken him so long to notice Lance had so many of them, and that most were fake.

 

Lance's smile now seemed contemplative, a little distant but not melancholy, although Shiro was sure Lance had flinched beside him just before Keith an Pidge had shut Hunk up by hitting him.

 

“What about you Lance? Do you know what you want to buy?” Shiro asked in an attempt to draw him into the conversation.

 

Blinking slowly, Lance turned to Shiro. His eyes went wide, and his mouth formed a small, aghast 'O'. “Shiro! Not you too,” he gasped.

 

“What? No I wasn't-I was just making conversation,” Shiro spluttered as Keith, Pidge, Hunk, and Matt, along with Lance, levelled expressions of disapproval at him.

 

“A likely story,” Lance scolded, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at Shiro. His seriousness lasted only a few ticks longer before he was laughing, the other's joining in.

 

Shiro groaned and fell back in his seat. He may be the butt of the joke right now, but Lance seemed to be ok. There was no need for him to worry.

 

“We're coming in to land,” Coran's voice, broken up slightly by static, carried over the intercom.

 

“You have three vargas to shop. Make sure you're all back in time, or we'll leave without you,” he added with a chuckle as the pod came to a bumpy landing.

 

There was an unintelligible chorus of acknowledgement followed by a mass shuffle towards the door as it opened into the mall's hangar.

 

“See ya' later!” Pidge was the first to jump through the doors. She turned to give the group a brief wave before sprinting off. Matt jogged after her, followed closely by Keith. They each split off to go their separate ways when they got through the exit doors.

 

“Hunk, I'm still a little confused about this secret Santa game. Would you accompany for a bit?” Allura asked as she fell into step beside Hunk, who was going at a steadier pace and didn't seem to be in any rush.

 

“Of course, Princess. I'll happily help you pick our a gift too if you want,” he said eagerly. Allura smiled patiently and hooked her arm with Hunk's. She marched them off briskly before Coran could catch up and insist he tag along to chaperone her.

 

Lance lingered behind the group. He watched them split off, his with hands stuffed in his pockets, and made no move to follow any of them. Shiro slowed his strides to walk with him, doing his best to make it seem like a coincidence.

 

“Oh my, has everyone already gone ahead?” Coran appeared behind them with a note of disappointment in his voice. Even his moustache seemed to droop.

 

“Don't worry, Allura's with Hunk,” Lance smiled, sensing where Coran's true concern lay. Coran scowled.

 

“Oh well, I guess I'll just go shop for my gift alone then,” he huffed and popped his collar with an irritated flourish.

 

“I dunno. You might just catch them if you hurry,” Lance grinned impishly.

 

“Do you think? Well, I suppose it is worth a try. I don't trust these 'malls'. They're just as dangerous as any swap moon if you ask me!” Coran said purposefully, his chest puffed out as he picked up his pace and hurried off.

 

“Do you think she'll manage to escape?” Lance said in a low whisper turning towards Shiro.

 

“I think if Allura doesn't want to be found, she won't be,” Shiro chuckled.

 

It was only the two of them now, something that didn't happen too often. Not that either of them tried to avoid such a thing, but being a part of team Voltron there was always someone else around.

 

“So do you know what you're looking for?” Lance asked Shiro with a smile that was soft and seemed almost tender, but that was probably just the rose-tinted goggles Shiro always wore when he looked at Lance. He couldn't read too much into it.

 

“Actually, I am having some trouble with that,” Shiro admitted with a sheepish chuckle.

 

“Oh?” Lance perked up with interest.

 

“Do you need some help? I can give you some general suggestions or something.” He offered.

 

“No. This person, I want to get them something special, and I need to pick something out on my own.” Shiro said softly, as much as it pained him to refuse Lance's invitation. Under any other circumstances, he would have jumped at the chance to spend some time alone with the other man.

 

Lance sucked in a breath, his eyes darkening for a moment before he smiled again. A smile that Shiro recognised as fake.

 

“Well that person is very lucky,” Lance said brightly, and before Shiro could stop him, he'd skipped several steps ahead breaking away from him.

 

“I've got a lot to do so I'm going to head off, good luck Shiro,” he called in parting before breaking into a run.

 

Shiro wanted to call him back. He wanted to question that fake smile, and why Lance seemed crushed by his words, but he couldn't risk revealing to Lance that he was his Secret Santa. Well, it wouldn't be too long until Lance knew Shiro had been talking about him.

 

Shiro paled, groaned, and slapped his hand over his face. Soon, Lance would know he had been talking about him. Of course, that was only if they revealed who the Secret Santa's were, which if Hunk had anything to do with it, would definitely happen.

 

Shiro let out a long sigh and dragged his hand down his face.

 

“Oh well, I wanted to prove to him how much he means...” Shiro muttered to himself. There was no backing out now.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Shiro wandered around the mall feeling like a man lost at sea. He'd never been very good with shopping in general, let alone trying to shop for, what seemed like, an impossible gift. He passed many stores selling fancy, expensive weaponry, and priceless, intricate jewellery, and while any one of them would have made an impressionable lavish gift, none were right. None of them would prove to Lance how special he was. And besides, they'd all agreed to a budget, which he had to work within, which made his task all the more difficult.

 

Shiro had already passed several beauty stores, all emitting sweet soapy smells. Some random beauty products were exactly the type of gift Shiro wanted to avoid, they wouldn't come close to expressing what he really wanted to say, but after wandering around the mall for so long Shiro was running out of options, and he was starting to get desperate.

 

He bravely turned towards the nearest one and went inside.

 

Soft, relaxing music played, and the smell of perfume and essential oils overpowered him. Shiro almost had to take a step back at the force of it.

 

“Hello. May I help you?” A peppy voice greeted him, belonging to an unilu girl who appeared at his side seemingly out of nowhere.

 

“Uh-”

 

“We have a wonderful new range of soaps and masks that work wonders on tired skin. We also have some ointments that will help with those battle scars too,” she babbled on, oblivious to Shiro's discomfort. She grabbed his wrist with one of her fours hands and dragged him further into the shop, and towards one of the displays.

 

“Now you just have to try this one, it has extracts of zaleamato which will give you the smoothest skin,” she spoke so quickly Shiro couldn't get a word in edgewise, nor could he stop her as she slathered some of the gunk onto his cheek.

 

He was trapped.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lance's first port of call was a yarn store. Although he'd already arranged with the others a joint gift for Shiro, Lance wanted to get him something else, something that was just from him.

 

Shopping for yarn proved to be interesting. Lance didn't even dare to try and repeat the name of the animals the wool came from, but there was all manner of textures and consistencies. There was wool that felt so light and soft it was like holding air, it slipped through Lance's fingers in a way that suggested it would be impossible to knit with, but still, he wanted it.

 

There was thicker wool that was very coarse, but felt like it would be incredibly warm. Wool that seemed to spark with energy, wool that had glitter natural woven into it, and even wool that changed colour apparently at random.

 

Lance settled on only buying what he needed. Some soft, normal looking wool in all the colours of Voltron. He also bought some knitting needled and other supplies and then moved on to the next store.

 

The beauty store. The same store Shiro was corned in.

 

Shiro spotted Lance before Lance saw him. The moment Lance stepped into the store he was pounced on by another girl, who was just as energetic as the one who'd trapped Shiro.

 

It bought Shiro a precious few seconds of time to do the only sensible thing he could, which was to hide. He ducked behind the display and crawled under the table.

 

“Sir, are you ok?” The girl asked as she bent down to peer under the table at him. She didn't seem the least bit put off by his behaviour, her voice as bright and cheerful as ever.

 

“I will buy one of everything you've shown me so far, just please, he can't see me,” Shiro hissed and pointed at Lance.

 

“Him. Is he the one you're buying the gift for?” She asked as she straightened up. She looked at Lance, her smile growing. Shiro had finally managed to tell her that he wasn't shopping for himself, but someone else, someone special, and from there she'd taken great pleasure in showing him all the products Lance might like.

 

“Oh I see what you mean, he does have amazing skin,” she giggled. Shiro curled up tighter, his face growing steadily redder.

 

“Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't see you,” she promised in a low whisper before moving over to Lance and the other girl.

 

From his hiding place, Shiro could only watch. He was too far away to catch anything but the odd word, but he could hear their laughter and see their smiles. Lance was in his element, and the girls giggled at his flirting. It caused a tight feeling to grow in Shiro's chest.

 

Lance hadn't flirted with Allura for a while now, not like he used to, nor had he flirted with anyone else they came across. Shiro had almost hoped that Lance had given up on flirting all together, but of course, it was none of his business who Lance flirted with. At least Lance looked happy.

 

Shiro scooted a little further under the table and hid in the shadows.

 

Lance knew what he was doing, even with the weird alien names, and he was soon finalising his purchases and making his way out of the shop.

 

“You can come out now,” the unilu girl ducked her head under the table grinning at Shiro. Shiro was tempted to stay there but knew he couldn't blame her, or even Lance for the uncomfortable twinge in his chest.

 

“Thank you,” he said instead as he crawled out from under the table with as much dignity as he could muster given the situation.

 

“So, what did he buy?” Shiro asked curiously. Although he'd already made a promise to buy everything the girl had shown him he wanted to make sure he didn't give Lance something he'd already bought.

 

“Oh nothing that you're buying,” the girl said cryptically as she gathered up various pots and bottles into a basket.

 

“Now will this be all, or is there anything else you need?” She asked as she held up the overflowing basket out to Shiro.

 

“No, that will be it,” Shiro answered weakly.

 

* * *

 

 

Shiro should call it a day there. He'd already gone way over budget and had plenty to choose from. A perfectly adequate gift was somewhere in the bag of thing's he'd just bought, but that was all it would be. Adequate. It would be exactly the superficial, lazy gift he was trying to avoid. But he still had plenty of time, and money left. He could at least take a look around the mall and see if anything inspired him.

 

The bags felt heavy in his hands as he walked. They wouldn't go to waste, Shiro reasoned. He could save them as birthday gifts, probably for the next few years, or else just leave them in the public bathrooms of the castle for Lance to find.

 

He hoped the weird alien beauty goo didn't expire too quickly.

 

* * *

 

 

After getting everything he wanted to buy, with some time to spare, Lance was feeling pretty proud of himself. Now he had some time to himself maybe he could sit down somewhere and start planning out a pattern for Shiro's present.

 

Just when he thought that Coran found him.

 

“Ah, Lance at last. I'm glad I found you.”

 

“Hey Coran, couldn't find Allura?” Lance chuckled.

 

“Uh, no. She always was rather good at hide and seek,” Coran sighed.

 

“But not to worry, now that I've found you I was wondering if you'd tell me a little more about this Santa. The whole thing is truly fascinating.”

 

And with that Lance lost his chance for some alone time, but he didn't really mind. Coran was just as excited to hear about Santa, and all of Earth's traditions around the holiday season, as Lance was to tell him. After further fervent discussions about Santa, they went shopping for some red and white fabric. It would mean more work for Lance, but it would make the secret Santa all the more special, which in Lance's opinion, was totally worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry shancemas everyone! Here it is part 2. I wanted to get this up before christmas so it's not as thoroughly checked as I would have liked so i apologise for any glaring mistakes. I hope you enjoy this story, and I hope that you all have a wonderful, happy holidays

The quintants after the shopping trip passed all too quickly. The group all seemed happy with the gifts they'd bought. Pidge, Matt, Keith, and Hunk got into a game of dropping tantalising hints at every opportunity, and they were all now trying to guess who had bought a gift for who, and what they might be getting.

Hunk spent most of his time in the kitchen attempting to replicate some holiday dishes with the limited ingredients he had to work with, and as the whole Castle began to fill with the familiar scent of the holidays, anticipation for the upcoming celebration grew.

Shiro was dreading it.

He'd managed to buy a few other items that he thought Lance would like, but still, none of them seemed right, and the very idea of wrapping even one of them and giving it to Lance as his Secret Santa present had him shoving the shopping back under his bed in shame.

He was running out of time.

Unsatisfied with his shopping haul Shiro pondered the idea of a handmade gift, it would be more meaningful, and maybe he could even use the stuff he'd already bought to create something. But what?

He was at a complete loss.

 

* * *

 

“You all wrote something useful, right?” Lance demanded of the group. The party was the next day, and only now had he managed to gather them all together, without Shiro.

“Yes Lance, we all did our homework,” Pidge rolled her eyes but smiled fondly at him as she proudly handed over her coupon.

“Free arm upgrades, or downgrades, for life?” Lance question. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“His arm takes a lot of upkeep and I dunno one day he might want to remove that glowy purple thing, or add something to it. If I could just, tinker with it, just a little...” she trailed off dreamily.

“That seems more like a gift for yourself than Shiro,” Lance laughed with a shake of his head. He kept the coupon, however, knowing that Pidge meant well and had Shiro's best interests at heart. Shiro would understand that better than anyone.

The others handed over their coupon, all with thoughtful promises unique to each of them.

“Great. This is perfect!” Lance beamed as he carefully stacked the papers together. He held them together and thumbed through the pages, grinning at the sound they made as they flipped. The stack felt good and hefty in his hands. This would show Shiro that he didn't have to take everything on alone, that he had the whole team by his side, that it was ok for him to ask for things.

At least Lance hoped that it would. It wouldn't be long until he found out. Lance gripped the stack tighter, and carefully slipped them into an envelope for safe keeping.

“I have some things to finish before tomorrow, so I'll see you later,” he excused himself before anyone could grill him over his crush on Shiro again, which really wasn't the thing they should be focusing on anyway.

Pidge and Matt shared knowing smirks as he left the room, but no one tried to stop him. However, Hunk rose to follow him.

“Hey, buddy, you ok?” He called after his friend catching up with him just around the corner of the corridor.

Lance stopped and looked over his shoulder, shooting Hunk one of biggest, most distracting smiles. “Me? I'm fine, why do you ask Hunk?”

It didn't work. Hunk stared at him, unimpressed, his eyes narrowed. “You look tired lately. Have you been getting enough sleep?”

“I've been pulling a few late nights, but I sleep,” Lance said a little too quickly. Hunk's eyes narrowed further.

“Ok I may have pulled one or two all-nighters, but I've almost finished. I promise I'll get some sleep tonight,” Lance tried again. Hunk's expression softened, and he sighed before giving a mall nod. He wasn't completely satisfied, but it would do.

“Fine. Just don't stay up too late, you want to be awake when you see Shiro unwrap your gift right?” Hunk winked.

Lance turned red.

“As long as he likes it, it doesn't matter. I don't need to see him open it,” Lance fumbled over his words, his voice going steadily higher.

Hunk laughed and gently patted him on the shoulder.

“Good luck,” he said solemnly before leaving.

Lance slumped and let out a long sigh. “Thanks. I'm going to need it,” Lance muttered to the empty hallway. He allowed himself only a moment to wallow in self-pity before he pulled his shoulders back and stood up straight.

He still had to finish Shiro's other gift. Just one more all-nighter, and it would be ready.

 

* * *

 

The following day there were no alarms, no missions, and no training. There was nothing to distract them, and although they would, of course, be ready to jump into battle at a moments notice, they all hoped that the universe could do without them for a few vargas.

After breakfast, they had some time to get ready and secretly leave the presents in a sack that had been left in the lounge.

Shiro paced his room and glared at the various items spread out on his bed critically. He had to pick something. He hadn't gotten any further after hitting on the idea of a handmade gift, there hadn't been time, and he just hadn't been imaginative enough.

“Just pick something,” he hissed to himself. He grabbed an item at random and then immediately tossed it back down on the bed. No.

“Shiro, you there?” A knock followed Keith's voice. Shiro jumped and quickly shoved everything on the bed back into the shopping bag, and stuffed it under his bed.

“I'm here, is something wrong?” He asked as he hurried to the door.

“No, it's just the party's about to start, and you weren't there,” Keith looked up at him quizzically.

“It...is?” Shiro glanced at the clock on his desk and muttered a curse under his breath.

“Sorry, I lost track of time,” Shiro hurried out of his room and ran with Keith down the corridor, to the dining room.

 

* * *

 

“Coran?” Shiro froze in the doorway, causing Keith to walk into him and stumble, almost falling over. Keith muttered something under his breath and gave Shiro a shove. Shiro didn't seem to notice.

“Oh, I'm not Coran, I'm Santa,” Coran said proudly. He reached down to pat a bulging sack that sat by his chair. He wore a red and white suit, just like the usual Santa outfit. A traditional red hat, with a big white pom-pom on the end sat on his head covering most of his orange hair. His moustache was just as bright orange as ever, but underneath it, he wore a fake, fluffy white beard. The contrast was so striking that Shiro couldn't help but stare.

He hunched his shoulders and pressed a hand over his mouth to suppress a laugh.

“Oh, Santa. I see. How nice of you to join us, but where is Coran? He'll miss out on the party.” Shiro said with concern, playing along.

“Oh not to worry, I am Coran,” Coran said in a low hiss that everyone heard. He pulled down the white beard and winked at Shiro, before carefully setting in back in place on his chin.

Shiro bit his lip to hold back another laugh. Keith gave Shiro another push to get him to move over to the table so they could take their seats, and start the part.

The food was, quite simply, the best thing they'd eaten since leaving Earth. Hunk had outdone himself, delivering not only the promised latkes but poultry meat that both looked and tasted like turkey. There was another meat that tasted like roast pig, a fish dish with the closest substitute for coconut milk Hunk had been able to find, and a strawberry shortcake Christmas cake, as well as the usual variety or strange and unusual alien vegetables and other side dishes.

He'd even attempted to recreate some Altean dishes, with Coran's help, so there was something for every single one of them that would remind them of home.

They talked and laughed over food, each dish punctuated by the team mooning over the food, and showering Hunk with praise. By the time dessert came around Hunk was several shades redder and beaming from ear to ear.

“I'm so glad you like it, I'm so glad we could all come together like this. This makes all that hard work worth it, man it feels like it really is Christmas.” Hunk sniffed and rubbed his hand over his face, swiping at the tears of joy that spilt down his cheeks.

“That was glorious. I don't think I can eat anymore,” Pidge groaned patting her stomach.

“Oh, what a shame. I guess I get your share of dessert then,” Matt reached for her plate with a sly grin. Pidge fended him off by threatening to stab him with her fork.

“I have enough room for cake,” she declared hunching over the table, her arm curled protectively around her plate.

“This might be the best meal I've ever had but don't you dare tell my mom I said that,” Lance said with a grin.

“I make no such promises,” Hunk replied honestly. Lance laughed and didn't seem at all bothered. The food was simply too good.

“Now that we've started dessert do you think now might be a good time to hand out presents?” Coran asked excitedly. He was practically bouncing in his seat and had been itching to hand out the gifts ever since the meal started.

"Well you usually don't open gifts at the dinner table," Lance pondered. Coran looked so disappointed that both his moustache and fake beard seemed to droop. Lance chuckled.  
"But you know it's not like we're following any one tradition or anything, so why not."

Pidge and Matt cheered in agreement, and Allura set down her dessert spoon, her cake forgotten for now.

“Marvellous! Oh, wait, no, I should say ho-ho-ho, right?” Coran beamed as he got to his feet and hoisted the sack full of presents up. Allura hid a laugh behind her hand.

"Yeah Coran, that's pretty much his catchphrase," Lance nodded.

“Ho-ho-ho and happy holidays to all you good Paladins. Now I hear you've all been very good this year, so Santa has come to give you some gifts!” Coran said with a jolly laugh truly getting into the spirit of playing Santa. He reached into the sack and pulled out a gift.

“First we have a gift for Keith,” Coran announced proudly. He walked around the table to Keith and handed him the gift with a great flourish.

“Thank you,” Keith said stiffly. He took the messily wrapped gift gingerly and glanced around the table at the others feeling put on the spot at being the first to receive his gift.

“So...do I open it now or?” He asked awkwardly, holding the gift carefully a small distance away from him.

“Yes, open it now!” Pidge demanded before anyone else could answer.

So Keith did. He tore open the clumsy wrapping, and a big, cuddly hippopotamus fell out onto his lap. Keith picked it up, gave it a squeeze, and smiled. “It's lovely Pidge, thank you,” Keith said sincerely.

“What? It wasn't from me!” Pidge yelped. She stabbed her fork into her cake and took a big bite, avoiding Keith's eye.

“Next is Hunk!” Coran interrupted as he pulled another gift from the sack.

The gifts got handed out one by one, each of them opening their gift in front of everyone before the next one was handed out.

“Ho-ho-ho my bag is getting much lighter now. This one's for Shiro,” Coran guffawed as he pulled out the neatly wrapped gift and handed it to Shiro.

There were two each one wrapped in different paper, with a tag, and tied together with a sparkly ribbon. Shiro set the gift down on the table in front of him and untied the ribbon. He picked up the gift that lay on top, a parcel that looked suspiciously like a book.

Shiro turned the tag over, reading that first. 'To Shiro, from Team Voltron' Underneath it, a smaller message was scribbled 'let yourself be selfish'.

Shiro gave a small smile at the message, running his fingers over it remembering how he'd left his paper blank. He lifted his gaze, his smile growing sheepish at all the expectant pairs of eyes watching him.

He opened the gift with great care. The small book with a thick cord and resembled a chequebook. Shiro slowly flipped through the pages, each one an offer of help and support from his teammates, his friends. The last page was from Lance, an offer on unlimited pampering spa days.

“What is this?” Shiro asked as he glanced around the table at them all.

“Your Santa, your secret Santa that is, not me, told us that your note was well, blank. He, or she, decided that as the head of Voltron you deserved a special gift from all of us since you couldn't think of anything you wanted for yourself,” Coran explained the corners of his eyes crinkling with his smile.

Shiro swallowed thickly.

“Than you.” He said his eyes moved to each of them. They were all smiling encouragingly, Keith gave a small nod, and Matt winked. Lance's smile was caring, and warm, his gaze not quite meeting Shiro's, and his cheeks were tinged a faint pink.

Shiro didn't need to open the second gift to know who'd been responsible for this.

He set the book down on the table and picked up the other gift, wrapped in shiny blue paper. Shiro could feel Lance's eyes on him as he opened the gift.

It was a pair of hand knitted, fingerless gloves, long enough to reach to his elbows. One arm had the Black lion on it. Her front paws stretched over the hand of the glove, her head was about wrist level with her body and her wings stretched up the arm, and ended with her tail coiled around the top.

On the other glove was Voltron. The yellow and blue legs covered the hand and stretched up along the forearm, reaching up to the black upper body and head, which covered the majority of the front of the glove. Along the right side Voltron's red arm stretched out, holding the sword, along the left side the green arm held the shield.

“Why arm warmers?” Keith asked as he leant in closer to get a better look at them.

Shiro knew why. It wasn't easy to wear sleeves with his prosthetic arm, while the paladin armour somehow worked around it, sleeves usually got in the way. But arm warmers, which only reached to his elbow, would be perfect. He could cover his arm whenever he wanted it, whenever he'd had enough of seeing the cold metal thing that was now attached to him.

It was the perfect gift.

“Oh...ah, I'm afraid the sack appears to be empty. Just a tick that can't be right,” Coran said as he lifted the sack over his head and stuck his head inside.

Lance was the only one who hadn't received his gift yet, and Shiro knew there was nothing in the sack for him. His stomach clenched with guilt, almost enough to make him throw up all the wonderful food he'd eaten.

“Maybe the mice took it, they're always up to mischief,” Coran's voice mused from the sack his voice slightly muffled.

From the table, tucking into the leftovers, the mice squeaked indignantly.

“It's ok,” Lance said with a big smile, his voice flat and emotionless.

“Maybe the Galra came to steal Christmas,” he added with a forced laugh that wavered slightly at the end. The group all share quick, nervous glances, eyes wide, silently trying to figure out what had happened, and who was supposed to have gotten a gift for Lance. All except for Shiro, who stared at the arm warmers, his thumb absently tracing the outline of the Black lions head.

“I, I'm just going to the bathroom,” Lance floundered as he got to his feet his lip quivering. He dashed out the room before anyone could stop him.

“This isn't supposed to happen, is it?” Coran asked as he lifted the sack off his head, taking his hat with it.

“No,” Hunk answered with a scowl, his voice sounded dangerous.

“Lance, wait!” Shiro jumped to his feet, and without sparing anyone else a glance, he left the room.

“Am I right in assuming none of us got Lance?” Allura asked as she watched Shiro go. They all nodded, each admitting who they'd bought gifts for. Allura smiled, and Hunk relaxed, no longer looking like he was about to strangle someone.

“So that means it was Shiro,” Hunk sighed.

“But if it was Shiro why wasn't there a gift for Lance in here?” Coran asked, waving the empty sack.

“He probably just couldn't find the right gift,” Keith groaned.

“So how long should we give them?” Pidge asked.

“Unless there's an attack, probably until tomorrow,” Keith answered stiffly, a slight blush colouring his cheeks.

“Oh, do you really think they might finally,” Allura squealed as she clapped her hands together. Keith went redder.

“I really don't want to think about it, but yes, probably, as long as Shiro's honest about his feelings.”

Allura squealed again. Pidge gagged.

“If he doesn't fix this though...” Hunk cracked his knuckles and didn't need to say anymore.

 

* * *

 

  
“Lance!” Shiro caught up with Lance near their rooms. Lance froze at the sound of his name but did not turn towards Shiro. His shoulders were stiff, and his head bowed.

“Something wrong Shiro?” He asked. He did a poor job of hiding the quiver in his voice.

Shiro stepped towards him and reached out for Lance's arm. His fingers curled lightly around Lance's bicep and gently turned the other to face him. Lance moved easily but kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

“Lance...will you come with me for a moment,” Shiro asked thickly. It took everything he had not to sweep Lance up in his arms and hold him close. The young man looked so dejected, and it was all Shiro's fault.

“Can it wait? I really need...to go to the bathroom,” Lance finished lamely. An obvious lie.

“No. This is important,” Shiro replied insistently, his grip on Lance’s arm tightening just a little.

Lance lifted his head to look at him from beneath dark, damp lashes, his blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. He blinked and the tears were gone, a smile taking their place. It was the most forced, painful smile Shiro seen him put on. He felt as if there was a vice squeezing his heart.

“Ok, lead the way!” Lance grinned.

Shiro's hand moved from Lance's arm and grabbed his hand. He felt Lance flinch at the contact, but he did not pull away, so Shiro curled his fingers around Lance's hand and held on tight.

“I need to show you something. It won't take long,” he promised before leading the way down the corridor, past Lance's bedroom door and all the way down the hall to his own. Lance followed silently.

Shiro let go of Lance's hand only when they were in his room, and the door had slid shut behind them. He moved to his desk first to place the arm warmers down on it. He'd ran after Lance still with them clutched in his other hand.

Shiro then moved over to his bed and crouched down to pull out the overflowing shopping bag with all the gifts he'd bought for Lance, and rejected. He passed the bag to Lance his head bowed in shame.

“I was your secret Santa. I didn't mean not to give you anything. I wanted to give you something special, but none of this was good enough, and I panicked. I ran out of time.” Shiro admitted, his voice heavy with remorse.

Lance took the bag wordlessly. His fake smile had fallen away replace with a blank look of confusion. He looked down at the bag and rummaged through it with one hand. Inside was all the pots and bottles Shiro had bought from the beauty store as well as some unusual seashells, a snow globe with a detailed underwater scene, and a pair of normal headphones.

“So, did you happen to get a cow with these?” Lance asked with a light chuckle as he held up the headphones. His eyes still looked watery, but he no longer seemed so dejected. Shiro felt the weight on his chest lessen, eve so slightly.

“No. I think the shopkeeper gave up on that offer,” Shiro smiled weakly.

Lance chuckled and dropped the headphones back in the bag before setting it down at his feet.

“Shiro any one of those gifts would have been wonderful. What were you getting yourself so worked up for?” Lance asked, his smile soft with a hint of sadness to it, but at least it looked real. It seemed as if Lance was admonishing Shiro as if he felt he wasn't worth the fuss.

Shiro wouldn't stand for that.

“None of these gifts are good enough for you,” he said emphatically. Lance took a small step back, his eyes wide.

“I wanted to give you something special. Something meaningful that would show you how important you are, but no matter how long I looked around that mall, and I looked in every shop, nothing seemed...right. I thought about trying to give you something else, something handmade so it would be even more special but then I ran out of ideas, and time. And then you go and give me those thoughtful gifts, the coupon book, and the arm warmers,” Shiro ranted, running the fingers of his human hand through his tuft of white hair. He probably would have ripped his hair out if not for Lance's hand landing gently on top of his. Lance's touch was soft and warm.

Shiro froze, his eyes meeting Lance's. Lance's smile was warmer, the sadness turning into trepidation as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

“Shiro really, those gifts are all wonderful. I love them, especially since they're from you. You don't have to get me anything special,” Lance assure him. His hand twitched against Shiro's, his fingers curling as if he wanted to grab Shiro's hand.

Instead, he pulled his hand away, his arm falling slowly back to his side. Shiro scowled, his eyes narrowing. He caught Lance's hand before he could pull back completely, and held on tight.  
  
“But you're worth it,” Shiro said softly.

Lance sucked in a breath and jerked back, his eyes wide. His hand twitched in Shiro's, and he squeezed the other man's hand.

Lance was speechless. In the silence, Shiro grew bold.

“So, I'll give you the gift you truly deserve, anything you want, just ask. Whatever it is, whatever you want, just ask and I'll get it for you. I'll even give you the whole universe, if that's what it takes,” Shiro said earnestly, meeting Lance's gaze with a hard stare that told Lance he was deadly serious.

For a moment Lance couldn't breathe, and the sound of his heart hammering in his chest seemed deafening. He hadn't heard that right. There was no way he'd heard any of that right.

Shiro's hand felt real in his own. It was bigger than his, rough with hard work and yet so gentle, and warm.

Maybe he was reading all this wrong. Maybe he was about to make a gigantic fool but of himself, but Lance knew if he didn't take this opportunity he might regret it for the rest of his life, and if it all went wrong...well. He'd worry about that later.

“I don't need the universe or anything like that,” he laughed with a gentle shake of his head. His blue eyes were sparkling again, not with tears, but with something Shiro couldn't quite name.

“All I want is a kiss,” Lance finished firmly. He surprised himself with how steady his voice was.

“A kiss? Form Allura?” Shiro asked uncertainly, suddenly becoming despondent. His grip on Lance's hand slacked.

Lance shook his head.

“No. From you.”

Shiro's grip tightened again, and he tugged Lance closer, but then seemed at a loss as to what he should do next.

“Are...are you sure?” He asked. Now Shiro was the one sure he was hearing things.

Lance took a small, half step towards Shiro closing the distance between them.

“I'm sure,” Lance whispered. They were so close he could feel Shiro's gasp of surprise against his lips.

Shiro's eyes darted around, searching Lance's eyes for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, he lifted his other hand, the silver prosthetic, and gingerly placed it against Lance's cheek. Shiro's fingers ghosted against Lance's skin, afraid to apply any amount of pressure. Lance tilted his head towards Shiro's hand, nuzzling the cold fingers.

“Well?” Lance demanded with a cheeky smile. It was the last push Shiro needed.

His hand moved from Lance's cheek to the back of his head, his fingers threading through the others short, silky soft hair. He gripped tight, yanked Lance closer, and crushed their lips together.

Lance gave a small sound of surprise that was muffled by the kiss. His lips slid against Shiro's first in a smug smile, then parting to allow him to deepen the kiss. He leant into Shiro, his arm wrapping around the other man's neck.

Shiro shifted his grip on Lance's hand, lacing their fingers together. He deepened the kiss, the warm tingle of Lance's lips pushing him forward, making him long for more. His tongue slipped passed soft, moist lips, and pushed against Lance's.

His stomach was doing flips, fluttering with excitement and desire. He crushed his lips more forcefully against Lance's, his grip on the other's hair tightening as he took a step back drawing Lance with him.

Lance responded with just as much force and fever. His heart pounding so fast it felt like it was about to explode out of his chest. His hand curled around the back of Shiro's neck, using it as an anchor to lift himself up onto his tiptoes and deeper into the kiss. His other hand, still tangled with Shiro's, gripped tightly as if he never wanted to let go. As Shiro stepped back, Lance pushed forward stumbling in his desperation to follow, to stay close.

The back of Shiro’s legs hit the bed, and he paused. The kiss became slower and more sensuous as he tried to steady them. He lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed, not breaking the kiss. He didn't dare. If this was the only time he got to kiss Lance, then he wanted to make it last as long as possible.

Lance followed him, kneeling on the bed straddling Shiro's hips. Shiro's hand moved from Lance's hair and dropped to rest on his back. He pressed gently and fell back pulling Lance with him.

The feeling of Lance's weight on top of him felt so good. Shiro deepened the kiss, moaning as it became more heated. Lance groaned against him, and Shiro could feel the shudder that went through his body. He arched up against him, which made Lance groan again.

Lance drew back, Shiro whimpered softly as he tried to follow. Lance chuckled, his hand resting on Shiro's chest to hold him down. Obediently, Shiro lay still. They were both breathless, eyes dazed and unfocused. Lance's lips were wet and swollen, and so, so tempting. Shiro's hand moved back to Lance's cheek, his thumb tracing the line of his lips pleadingly, but as much as he wanted to kiss Lance again, and never stop kissing him, he waited.

“Shiro?” Lance whispered his voice a little horse.

“Yes?” Shiro's thumb paused at the corner of Lance's lips but didn't pull away.

“Can I ask for one more thing?” Lance's lower lip jutted out in a cute little pout Shiro could not say no to.

“Anything.”

“Can I stay?” Lance asked tentatively, a part of him still afraid Shiro might reject him.

Shiro smiled, a rush going through his body that made him tingle all over. He answered Lance by pulling him into another kiss, which was interrupted a moment later by Lance yawning.

“So-sorry,” Lance stuttered, pulling back his face bright red.

“I've just had a few late night lately. I'm not saying you're a bad kisser or anything, you're a really good kisser actually, like really good, can we please continue,” Lance spluttered, red in the face. He looked like he was about to hyperventilate.

Shiro stared at him for a moment blinking slowly. Then he laughed, a deep laugh that shook through his chest and made Lance shake on top of him.

"Shiro-" he protested. Before Lance could run away in shame, Shiro wrapped his arms around his waist and held him close. He rolled over on his side, pulling Lance with him, still laughing.

Lifting a hand, Shiro cupped Lance's cheek, his thumb rubbing under one of the dark circles under Lance's eyes. "Are you a little tired?" He chuckled.

"A little, but I'm still good to go. I don't want to stop!" Lance insisted.

Shiro smiled softly and drew Lance closer to press a kiss to his forehead. “Why don't you have a little nap? We can pick up where we left off when you wake up."

“But...kissing,” Lance pouted. Shiro pressed a quick kiss to his lips to make up for it.

“I promise we can kiss a lot more after this,” Shiro whispered into the small space between them.

“Promise?”

Shiro kissed him again.

“Ok fine. Sleep now, then more kissing,” easily agreeing, Lance nuzzled into Shiro's embrace and closed his eyes.

With a promise like that and Lance's warmth next to him, Shiro could fall to sleep to some sweet dreams.

**Author's Note:**

> part 2 will be out very soon, once i finish editing it


End file.
